E String fades

[bigbassmike]

Hey Everyone

I just got a 50s Classic Vibe and so far I've been impressed with it. When I play the E string on the 3rd, 4th and 5th fret the note quickly fades, but mostly on the 5th fret. It doesn't do this anywhere else on the bass.
I tried the bass at my local music store and liked it, but the floor model was not in the best shape, so I ordered one and it came in today. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[Espresto]

It could be a dead spot on the fretboard. Try taking some relief out of the neck, sometimes that helps.

[bigbassmike]

Thanks. I will give it a try.

[Rip Topaz]

It could also be something as simple as the string got twisted when you installed it.

[bigbassmike]

I tried the suggestions with no luck. It is the first dead spot I've had with one of my basses, so now I know what to look for. I ended up taking the bass back to the music store and the on-site Luthier checked the bass out and experienced the same issue I was having. I returned the bass and have another coming in from Fender.

[walterw]

if the "floor model" was the one that sounded good, you should have gotten that one.

also, be sure that the string winds make it to the very bottom of the posts; otherwise, the strings put a lot of torquing leverage on the headstock, which makes it vibrate more and can exacerbate dead spots.